The present invention relates generally to surgical instruments and, more particularly, to a removable handle to which a number of different sized and different purpose bladed surgical instruments may be removably attached.
Typically, a physician will utilize a large number of single-bladed surgical instruments such as surgical osteotome or capsular releasing instruments. The surgical osteotome, for example, is a surgical instrument specifically designed for assisting a surgeon in the removal of fibular material at a joint such as a nodular mass of bone or cartilage in a tendon known as a sesamoid, associated with bunion procedures, and other sesamoidal related procedures such as removal of non-union tribial sesamoids or painful supernumerary bones. The surgical osteotome consists of three parts, a handle, an extension or shaft and a blade. Similarly, capsular releasing instruments consist of a handle, a shaft and a blade. The primary difference between the instruments being shape and configuration of the shaft and blade to adapt to different uses.
It is well-known in the prior art to provide bladed surgical instruments of the type described above. Typically, the prior art bladed instruments are fabricated as an integral unit thus requiring the physician or medical facility to obtain a large number of separate instruments, often at great expense. Further, the handle portion of the bladed instrument is typically the largest and heaviest portion of the bladed instrument requiring bulky storage and transport cases.